The 2015 2H Digital Marketing Outlook report from the Society of Digital Agencies was recently published. It’s a sort of “State of Digital” report, so our teams here are very interested in what it has to say.
I found it interesting the way that SODA defines “digital marketing” to cover what I would simply refer to as “digital”…or “digital experience:”
“A quick word about the phrase “digital marketing.” Today it means almost every activity within organizations which touches their consumers, from advertising to product innovation to customer experience.”
Here are the 4 biggest takeaways I found from the report:
1. Technical Expertise is as Important as Creative
“The digital agency of the future needs more than technical and creative expertise. It needs business consultants who have a deep understanding of the client side and the right skillset to engage effectively with professionals from a wide range of company disciplines, including logistics, production, sales and marketing.”
2. The Ideal Digital Consultant Understands Inter-Departmental Functions and Needs Across the Organization
“Only with this insight can an agency offer sharp, workable solutions. Such consultants can talk the same language as clients and will help agency teams move beyond being experts in digital strategy to become agents of business transformation. To really challenge a clients’ business performance, agencies must understand every aspect of that client – from production and sales, to customer service and product development. By developing a deeper understanding of the business challenges our clients face, we can articulate more meaningful solutions and ensure that our offers aren’t seen as experimental or simply a bit of fun.”
3. It is Imperative to Aim For Business Transformation Rather Than Simply Digital Solutions
“We need to put the client’s business at the centre of our strategic planning and think like business innovators rather than digital creatives. This is a huge cultural challenge.”
As I said in my blog post announcing our acquisition of digital agency Enlighten last month, one of our digital agency’s missions is to help the world’s leading enterprises digitally transform. We aim to do that for our clients by offering them the coupling of excellent creative capabilities with a deep understanding of the enabling technologies.
